i mean, i am well aware of the fact that i’m a pretty big wimp when it comes to hot weather. first of all, i’m so pale that i’m practically see-through, so there’s that whole, “put me in the sun for more than 2.5 and for my next trick, i’ll spontaneously turn into a lobster” thing, and then, there’s the whole other issue that in any temperature above say, 82, i swell like a small sausage. so you know, i’m not moving to the desert any time soon thankyouverymuch.

also, i am equally as aware of the fact that “hot weather” is a relative term. i am by no means negating the fact that pretty much the rest of the country (and parts of the world) is suffering through staggeringly high temperatures and record bouts of humidity (much higher than the ones we’ve faced as of late), but for a so-cal bred gal who has gotten quite used to her ocean breezes and afternoon marine layer, these past two weeks have basically been the equivalent to living inside a hot water bottle. that was just placed in the oven. on broil.

i won’t sugarcoat it, the heat just makes me cranky, y’all. and given the fact that neither i, or my boyfriend, or most anyone in san diego -seeing as it is supposed to be a perfect 72-degrees year round (why else are we paying these housing prices?) -have air conditioning, this weekend was basically a collection of events and outfits all aimed at attempting to stay cool. i mean, when it’s 91-degrees inside your apartment, it’s time to find solace (and shade!) elsewhere. because despite having ceiling fans and open windows and tower fans, oh my!, that whole “i’m sweating just sitting here on the couch” doesn’t seem to eradicate itself when the temp creeps above 90.

so in addition to uttering “help me, i’m melting,” here are a few other things that were uttered by yours truly over the course of these past 48ish hours.

“do you want to share this table with me?” so, you may or may not be aware of my tendency to make friends at a starbucks location near you. no but really, when my boyfriend picks me up from the starbucks in poway where i go to kill time before church service every sunday, the first thing he asks when i get in the car is “who did you meet today?” there’s just something about starbucks patrons and my willingness to engage them in conversation that warrants a memorable experience almost every time i go in for my daily caffeination. so on friday, when i got off work an hour or so prior to the time of my scheduled dinner date with a girlfriend, i headed to the nearest starbucks for a few moments of writing and a little afternoon pick-me-up. when i realized that my pants were literally on fire (no, i wasn’t a liar) as i walked across the parking lot due to the 90-degree temperatures in mira mesa, i prayed that there would be a table available inside the air-conditioned walls (well not inside the walls but you know what i mean). and like a beacon in the night, there sat a table, big enough for two, near an electric outlet even, right as i walked through the door. praise Jesus. and as i unloaded my laptop and positioned my purse in the empty chair across from me, i noticed a middle-aged gentleman enter about the same time and immediately begin scanning the store for a vacant workspace. realizing that his search had turned up futile, i sheepishly spoke up. “did you want to share this table with me?!” he immediately turned around and obliged my request. “thank you so much,” he uttered, “and since you were so generous to share your space with me, let me treat you to a drink!” and it was i who obliged his request this time, answering back with “gosh that would be great, may i a grande iced coffee with a little bit of soy, please? thank you so much!” and as we waited for our drinks to arrive at the barista bar, we exchanged casual conversation. he had just moved here from the windy city and was still getting his bearings in america’s finest. he inquired if i was a student (a girl who looks about 17 with a laptop? i mean, it was a natural assumption) and i was quick to correct him, explaining the real reason behind my computer screen- the book of course (i also managed to get a free plug for the blog in, too) and he complimented me on my positive outlook with regards to the failed relationships of my past and wished me good luck in my future endeavors, too. and then just like that it was time for me to leave for dinner. so i bid adieu to my new found friend and thanked him again for his generosity. and despite it sounding slightly strange (or creepy? or both?) to connect with a near perfect stranger in the middle of the mira mesa starbucks, i can’t help but to feel as though we shared a neat little moment that friday afternoon. random acts of kindness, ftw.

“this food is like really good.” so after my starbucks friend-making adventures, i met my sweet gal N at loving hut, an eatery specializing in vegan cuisine (think lots of asian-inspired dishes). we shared an appetizer of summer rolls and then i proceeded to scarf down every last morsel of my lemon grass tofu. yeah, i was hungry (duh), but honestly, the food is like just really that good. if you don’t believe me, let me say this: i took a piece of their vegan cheesecake to the boy (cheesecake is his favorite) when i met up with him later in the evening. and despite his initial skepticism (he is quite the connoisseur of cheesecake), after one bite, he was quick to gave mad props to LH and their dairy free attempts at his beloved dessert. i rest my case.

“wait, i love this song.” as my boyfriend and i flipped through the channels friday evening in search of the closing ceremonies (i had mistakenly informed him that the closing ceremonies were on friday, not sunday, my bad), we managed to stumble upon a pbs special featuring performances from this year’s austin city limits event. and almost immediately after landing upon a band made up of five men and a gal with the letters “THATH” inscribed on their drumset, we became mesmerized by their melodic sounds. what’s “THATH?” i asked. neither of us knew, but the longer we kept the tv fixed upon their performance, the more we began to fall in love with every single thing that was happening on that stage. after two songs, the band name scrolled across the screen: the head and the heart. ahhh, THATH. it was all making sense now. anywho, i have had the song below stuck in my head all weekend long and have listened to their album in its entirety on spotify at least three times today. i know i’m probably late to the game on this one (i always am when it comes to music), but gosh you should really do yourself a favor and give them a listen. also, they are coming to san diego on october 3rd. i may or may not just messaged that information to my boyfriend with the request, “can we go?!” stay tuned.

“can you paint the ring finger toe a darker shade of pink?” i treated myself (treat YO self) to a manicure and pedicure on saturday afternoon. i picked out two shades of pink for my toes -one for eight of them, one for the remaining two. yes, despite its obscurity, the pedicurist was happy to grant my request to have the ring finger toe of each foot painted the darker shade of the two polishes. but you know what guys? sometimes i just like to get a little crazy. even if my definition of “crazy” only entails having my toenails two different hues of pink. i know, what a rebel, right?

“can i hold the baby?” my extended family got together this weekend to celebrate two of my cousins’ birthdays. and as always, it was a wonderful opportunity to visit with relatives whose acquaintance i simply do not make nearly often enough given the miles between our doorsteps. and in addition to catching up with the usual suspects, i was able to meet the most recent addition to the ever-growing clan. and my goodness did i enjoy every moment of holding this sweet fella. it’s kind of crazy to think that we’re adding a whole new tier of cousins to our family tree (because, hi, how did we get this old?), but if it means i get to hold babies without having to have one of my own  any time soon (i’m no where near ready for that!), well then by all means, guys, let’s grow that tree!

one of my favorite humans on the planet.

these are my people. this is where i come from.

baby-holding.

“have you seen the final harry potter movie?” “yes, babe, i have, but i will gladly watch it again with you, if you’d like!” “good, because i already have it cued up for us.” apparently the reputation of my agreeing attitude precedes me. and in watching the final installment in the series a second time, i realized that neville really isn’t as hot as i had originally claimed the first time his transformation from chubby pre-teen to tall drink of water was revealed to me. oppositely, ron weasely is (just as hot, that is).

“how much further?” after a delicious lunch experience at blue water seafood market & grill (and an “it’s totally worth it” hourish-long wait -hey, it was on diners, drive-ins & dives! it has to be good!) on sunday afternoon, and after the heat had us all but going cray cray by mid-afternoon, the gent and i decided to venture to the coast for a stroll and a trip to the pb location of yogurtland. but then we thought about how many people might be thinking the same thing at that very moment and how they were probably already driving there and eating up all of the yogurt and parking in all of the parking spots and we both wanted to cry a little bit as a result. so we opted for plan P, for “point loma,” and found an equally as tantalizing self-serve yogurt place within walking distance to a park. while it was no match for the beach, parks tend to have trees, trees tend to offer shade, and shade usually results in a less-sweaty version of me. so i was all about option P. so off we went to cup of yo for a little frozen deliciousness and some relief from the heat. it was a bit of a jaunt from the house of yo to “shoreline park;” a location unknown to me, but happened upon by the boy in his latest google search of surrounding relaxation stations. so following his lead, we ventured down the hill, slurping our yogurt as it feverishly melted in the summer heat. and though i’m always up for a sunday stroll (i may have given up running, but i’m more than happy to walk), as our pathway took us further and further away from the parking lot of origin, and as the beads of sweat began to multiply like rabbits along my back and brow, i finally inquired the ETA of my beloved tour guide. “how much further?” “just a little bit longer,” he replied. a little longer? okay, i could do it. yes, my pants were sticking to me like duct-tape to, well, any surface that duct-tape is stuck to, and my feet had swollen to the size of texas, but i was no quitter. so i kept walking. we kept walking. until all of a sudden, we were at sea level. and well, what do you know, we had arrived on shelter island. what in the ? who knew it was this close(ish)? the ocean breezes were a welcomed addition to the afternoon heat and after scouring the pathway for an open bench of which to rest our weary legs, we finally found one under the shade of a bougenvilla-adorned gazebo. with the downtown skyline to the left and the coronado bridge to the right flanking our view of the harbor, we both concluded that heat and all, it really doesn’t get much better than that, folks. but then the realization that since we hadwalkedto our destination, there was that whole “walking back” thing, too. and did i mention that we were going downhill on the way there? meaning “uphill” was in our not so distant future. but reenergized after our momentary bench-sabbatical, we powered through and managed to make it back to the car in one piece. that “one piece” may have been quite sweaty and tired, but it was fully intact nonetheless. moral of the story? google makes things appear a lot closer than they really are and shawna should always carry a back-up pair of shorts in her car. pants in 90-degree heat is just not pretty. other than that, i would totally make that trek again.

“you should have tried harder!” following our walk across the sahara, i left the boy to sweat it out at home and joined my parents for dinner and to take in the closing ceremonies of the london games. i also planned on spending the night at their house since it is totally cooler than mine and, hey, every degree counts! anyway, given the heat, and the events of the day in general, and well, given the busyness of the past like three weeks on the whole, i must have been exhausted because not even ten minutes after my shower following our meal, and lodging myself in the corner of the couch, did i zonk out en route to dreamland. knowing that the opening ceremonies were like eight years long, i figured the closing ones would be of the same length, therefore i thought i had some time to catch a few zzz’s before the most anticipated act of the presentation was scheduled to grace our television screen. yes, you know what i’m talking about: the spice girls reunion. anyway, when i woke some hours later, fully ready to take in sporty, scary, posh, baby, and ginger in all of their aged glory, my dreams were shattered when mom informed me that their performance had long since come and gone. apparently she had attempted to arouse me from my slumber as the gals took to the stage, but despite her efforts, i could simply not be bothered to leave unconscious state. my response a few upon said realization? YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER! (i know, apparently i am not very kind when i miss spice girls reunions) lucky for me we have the internet and i was able to take in all 4 minutes and 13 seconds of their performance with a simple google search. you should take a moment to watch it for yourself, too. unless you were normal and didn’t fall asleep at 8:30 p.m. last night. p.s. i mean, age has done these five ladies QUITE well.

and now it’s monday. and it is just as hot, but at least i’m here at work where it is air-conditioned and there is an abundance of iced coffee at my disposal.

oh what’s that you say? our air-conditioning unit is on the fritz?

i give up. i’m moving to alaska, who’s with me?

just kidding, but i’m like MORE than ready for fall, guys. i hope your weekend wasn’t nearly as sweaty as mine and if it was, just know that you weren’t alone in your swollen-ankled ways. lord help me if i’m pregnant in the summer someday.